There are can’t-touch pass interference rules that go against the defense. Hitting high is a defensive no-no. Clobber the quarterback above the pads or below the knees, and the defense is penalized.

To the long list of rules and regulations that favors the NFL offense, add the way they keep score.

When Peyton Manning, the Denver Broncos’ offensive leader, threw a pick-six early in the second half Sunday against the Washington Redskins? Those seven points were charged to the Denver defense.

When Broncos’ cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie intercepted a pass late in the game and returned it 75 yards for a touchdown? Those points were added on the Broncos’ offensive scoring total.

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“It’s an offensive league, I’ll just say that,” said Terrance Knighton, who had the most impact on the Broncos’ defensive interior in the season’s first half. “They protect the guys the people want to see.”

Against all these impediments, Denver’s defense had been charged with giving up three touchdowns last Sunday in a game-time span of 3 minutes, 54 seconds.

A case could be made none of those touchdowns was the defense’s fault. Late in the first half, Broncos special teams had too many men on the field for a field goal, and drew a penalty that allowed Washington to get a first down and finish off a drive for a touchdown instead.

Early in the second half, a sack-fumble against Manning gave Washington’s offense the ball at the Denver 19, setting up a second touchdown. One play later, Manning’s interception was returned by DeAngelo Hall for a touchdown.

Whomever to blame, Denver’s D was down 21-7. Had middle linebacker Wesley Woodyard missed another game with a neck stinger injury, the Broncos may have been doomed to their second defeat in two weeks.

“When it was 21-7, at that point it was on us,” Knighton said, even though it really wasn’t on the Broncos’ defense. “We got our leader, Wood, back. He’s the best leader I’ve been around. He wasn’t going to let us budge. He sets the tone for us.”

On their next defensive series, Woodyard brought all 11 players together for a pep talk.

“I simply challenged them that, ‘Hey, this is one of those games where we’ve got to do what we do as a defense,’ ” Woodyard said. “I respect the guys for continuing to fight.”

For the season’s second half, there is hope at Dove Valley that the Broncos’ defense will be nothing like the unit that got torched by Tony Romo in Dallas or Andrew Luck in Indianapolis.

Against the Dallas Cowboys in Game 5, Von Miller was still serving his suspension and Woodyard suffered the stinger that forced him to miss the second half. He missed the next two games, and didn’t return until Sunday against Washington. The Broncos gave up 48 points to Dallas and 19 to horrible Jacksonville in victories, then 39 in a loss to Indy.

Miller, the Broncos’ best pass rusher, shook off six games of rust against the Colts, then had one of the Broncos’ three sacks against Washington quarterbacks. Woodyard had five tackles and an immeasurable amount of presence.

“Whatever you’ve heard about Wood? It’s better than that,” said Broncos safety Rahim Moore. “You see that ‘C’ on his shoulder?

“It’s there for a reason.”

Denver’s defenders held the Redskins to 110 total yards in the second half. And no points after Manning’s put seven on their “points allowed” category.

Rodgers-Cromartie’s late-game touchdown return, meanwhile, became part of the Broncos’ offensive scoring total. So long as Denver’s defense shares in the team’s 7-1 record, all is good.